Cheapest Colleges in Arkansas
Sticker prices at the 15 four-year colleges we rank in Arkansas run from $8,090 to $38,200 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $30,110 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 8 public colleges here charge a median of $9,580 a year, $360 (4%) below the national public median of $9,940. The 7 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $31,000, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Arkansas State University ranks first at $8,090, ahead of Henderson State University ($8,244) and University of Arkansas Grantham ($8,520).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Arkansas
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Arkansas has 15
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 15 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR Public · 4-year | $8,090 | $14,522 | $12,366 | 55% | 9,110 |
| 2 | Henderson State University Arkadelphia, AR Public · 4-year | $8,244 | $10,620 | $23,405 | 38% | 1,456 |
| 3 | University of Arkansas Grantham LIttle Rock, AR Public · 4-year | $8,520 | $8,520 | $8,370 | 32% | 2,833 |
| 4 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Pine Bluff, AR Public · 4-year | $9,412 | $17,992 | $12,653 | 40% | 1,807 |
| 5 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR Public · 4-year | $9,748 | $22,158 | $17,248 | 42% | 4,949 |
| 6 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR Public · 4-year | $9,960 | $15,690 | $14,027 | 48% | 2,708 |
| 7 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Public · 4-year | $10,104 | $29,966 | $18,209 | 70% | 28,677 |
| 8 | University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR Public · 4-year | $10,523 | $18,023 | $16,511 | 53% | 7,762 |
| 9 | Philander Smith University Little Rock, AR Private nonprofit · 4-year | $13,014 | — | $14,224 | 31% | 751 |
| 10 | University of the Ozarks Clarksville, AR Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,950 | — | $17,360 | 52% | 767 |
| 11 | Harding University Searcy, AR Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,262 | — | $22,130 | 70% | 3,382 |
| 12 | Lyon College Batesville, AR Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,000 | — | $19,616 | 51% | 648 |
| 13 | John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,756 | — | $20,397 | 69% | 1,471 |
| 14 | Ouachita Baptist University Arkadelphia, AR Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,500 | — | $22,409 | 66% | 1,602 |
| 15 | Hendrix College Conway, AR Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,200 | — | $24,149 | 71% | 1,100 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Arkansas, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Arkansas
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in Texas
73 schools
Cheapest colleges in Missouri
36 schools
Cheapest colleges in Tennessee
36 schools
All 23 colleges in Arkansas See the national version of this ranking